Chobani is laying off a small but undisclosed number of temporary workers at plants in Twin Falls, Idaho and South Edmeston, New York as it harmonizes production between the two facilities after a labor-intensive ramp-up phase, and moves to new shift patterns.

However, volumes continue to increase steadily and the reshuffling does not reflect any changes in the company’s strategy or performance, said company bosses on Thursday.

The changes, which were “difficult but necessary”, reflect the fact that the initial ramp-up stage at Twin Falls is now complete and production at New York has been brought back more in line with its original design now that the Twin Falls facility is fully operational, they added.

As the process is still underway, the exact number of temporary staff positions to go has not been disclosed, but the total headcount adjustments are “small” in the relation to the overall business, said the Greek yogurt firm, adding that total headcount at both factories following the changes will still be higher than the figures originally pledged to the departments of commerce in both regions.

We are a young company that has grown very quickly

Separately, Chobani has moved members of its sales force from Charlotte, North Carolina, to New York City to work alongside the marketing team; while a business service center has been set up in Norwich, upstate New York, to better support its operations.

“We are a young company that has grown very quickly and after a thorough and comprehensive review of our business, we made the difficult but necessary decision to implement operational and organizational adjustments that support our growth and allow us to continue to compete and maintain our leadership position,” said president and chief operating officer David Denholm.

The first pots of Chobani Oats rolled off the production line at Twin Falls Idaho this week

“Much like other companies that have grown so rapidly in their first decade, making adjustments to our original structure will further position us to continue to lead the category we pioneered and to invest even more in our business and future growth.”

Chobani, which hit the headlines earlier this week after finding itself at the receiving end of a trademark infringement lawsuit filed by author Dov Seidman (click HERE
), is unveiling a raft of new products this summer including Chobani Oats - yogurt mixed with fruit and oats; Chobani Indulgent - its first desserts; and Chobani Kids - snack packs for kids (click HERE
).

Click on the links below to find out more about Chobani's recent cash injection and expansion plans:

Chobani is laying off a small but undisclosed number of temporary workers at plants in Twin Falls, Idaho and South Edmeston, New York as it harmonizes production between the two facilities after a labor-intensive ramp-up phase, and moves to new shift patterns.